So, part of our nightly routine around here is the "Responsibility & Commitment Chart" that we go through every single night. On this chart are various tasks and character building exercises that we're (and by that, I mean... Jacob) working on.

One of the most important check point on the chart is memorizing Bible Verses.

We've been doing this for 3 months (or so) & Jacob (and me & E) has memorized 3 verses. He's proud of himself. We're proud of him. And, honestly, listening to my child quote God's Words to me is priceless. He's 'hiding it in his heart' for moments later in life when he'll need it.... even if he doesn't realize how important this is now.

And when you get to go to the ice cream parlour wearing your Mickey ears & eat a big ol ice cream cone for "dinner".... it makes for a pretty special reward when you're 5.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Wednesday, November 06, 2013

I live in a home that is male dominated. I spend most of my time, it feels like, washing stained clothing, yelling to flush & wash your hands (that's just to Jacob.... the husband long ago conquered that!). And, I spend a great part of my day watching the two males & having the thought, "I.... just don't understand you people."

Getting dirty and working with tools is one of their love languages. True Story; the front end of my car is "a little broken" to quote Jacob. And E has been on a mission to fix it. This past weekend, E and Jacob pulled out the tools and did "man work" on the car. They were in The Zone. For several hours. And then, they spent another hour or two cleaning and washing out the toolbox & the tools.

They were dirty & greasy! They loved every moment of it!

And Jacob is the biggest clown on the planet.
Jumping around, being silly. Rolling around on the ground... any ground. His nickname around here is, "The Flying Squirrel" LOL. He never walks when he can hit the turbo-powered Run. The child has 2 volumes: Very Loud & asleep. And, he's never still- even when he sleeps, the child is always moving. And he's the Master of Making Weird Faces!

The two love the rough-house with one another. Again- Love Language. They love chasing each other & scaring each other & running around like crazy people. And getting dirty and wild. And sweaty! It's a rare day when I don't hear "AHAAAAA!!!!!!" coming from both of them are they gallop around the house.

And, that's not me!

But, it's them & it's fantastic! They crack me up- even when I'm staring at them with wide eyes saying, "Be Careful!" or "Nothing broken please!"

Tuesday, November 05, 2013

And we love us some Chick-fil-a around here. Especially on rainy Monday nights, when I've been sick all day & E and Jacob are primed to get out of the house... and I'm not.

E and Jacob met E's brother, "Uncle J" for dinner at one of the Chick-fil-a's close to us & to their delight, they were having an event! Jacob came home and told me that it was with the "Duck People"... aka: Duck Dynasty.

E said later that they were giving out camo decorated toys to the kids (Jacob came home with a camo airplane) and the Famous Chick-fil-a Cow was out and about greeting people.

It's safe to say that "the big cow!" is well loved by Jacob!

If you have a Chick-fil-a around you, I highly recommend checking into their schedule of events! There's almost always something happening at our local one! It's a great place, with yummy food & our family highly approves!

Monday, November 04, 2013

So, since the holiday season is upon us, I thought I'd share something that we've been doing as a family.

Way back in August, I knew that the temptation for getting the 'gimmie's' would be great, especially for the resident 5 year old. He's never met a present or a toy he hasn't wanted. I knew we wanted to really start instilling the idea of thankfulness and blessings into him this year, so I started plotting and planning on the best way to do this.

The answer was simple: The Thankfulness Tree

Every night, before bed, we sit down as a family & everyone thinks of one thing that they are thankful for on that day. Each person picks out a leaf or a bird (Jacob's personal favorite) & writes down what they are thankful for and signs it. I tape it to the tree (or around the tree).

The Thankfulness Tree has been a great tool for teaching Jacob the concepts of thankfulness, blessings, & being a blessing to others.

And, it's been great for me & E. It's so easy for adults to get caught up in the bolts & grime of everyday life and forget all the blessing that surround us. And, taking time to be intentional in giving thanks is a life skill that no one outgrows.

To make the Thankfulness Tree, I used some of my rudimentary art skills! I pulled out a large piece of poster board (being a homeschool mom who loves a good craft comes in handy!) and sat on my kitchen floor. I tree out a sketch of tree and then grabbed my paints. It took a couple of coats, but it ended up looking cute. I wish I had taken a pic!

Then I made templates for the leaves and the birds. I traced the templates on a couple of different colors of construction paper & cut them out.

Done.

We started the Tree on October 1st (we missed a few days here and there when life got weird on us) and we're continuing all the way up to the last day of November! We'll have spent two months learning about Thankfulness, remembering to be thankful, counting our blessing & blessing others.

Then, on December 1st, we'll move into Advent. I think it's a pretty darn good way to usher in the Advent season.

Sunday, November 03, 2013

Sometimes I find it very hard to live out the idea of GRACE. Like, really hard. When the laundry has piled up & is starting to stage a revolt. When the kitchen counters are still sticky. And the trash needs to be taken out AGAIN. And the dish washer is full, but the last person who put something in it didn't start it.... AGAIN.

And when there's more month than money. Plans go wonky & the woman who has a hard time when plans change on regular days about has a spaz fit when plans go sideways on surgery day.

And the toilet clogs (again.) And the 5 year old refuses to poop. Again.

And everyone is tired and cranky. And no one is thinking about showering others with grace. But we sure want a lot of it poured on us.

Sometimes it seems like an endless cycle.

And, I think that's alright. For me, the cycle leads me back to showers of grace. I end up in that exact moment when I think, "Wow. If I had done that, I would really appreciate the other one to be kind. To let it go. To help me fix it."

There are so many times, more than I would like, when I just don't want to be the one to bend. I want others to bend to me. But... when you humble yourself to others, something amazing happens. They tend to do the same thing. And this amazing grace fills up the space & drives out the anger. the frustration. the hurt. Other things well up. Love. Joy. Thankfulness. Understanding.
***

that 5 minutes went fast as I was writing. Not quite sure I'm done unpacking this thought. Perhaps another post at a later date.